At Sea

A wonderful sea day. Ports are great, but there is something magical about sea days. Here the majestic ocean surrounds you, while our ship effortlessly sails through the waves. There is always a breeze across the open decks, even on the hottest day. On cold days you can be snug and warm in the many beautifully decorated areas throughout the ship, and listen to the musicians. It is all perfection.

So what was available today? Well there were Fab abs, Walk a Mile, Pathway to Yoga, Body Sculpt Boot Camp, Tai-Chi Lovers Get Together, Christian Fellowship, Hooplah Competition, Crafts, Cunard Insights talks by Joe Kess (From Monarchy to Republic State: How Hawaii Became One of the United States), my personal favorite, John Brinkley (Can we Predict Volcanoes?), the answer is yes almost, and Denny Whitford (“Who owns the Oceans?”), Morning Trivia, Line Dance Class, Beginners Bridge, Watercolor Art Class, Sea Life Photography, Anti Ageing Solutions with Dr Martha, Sailing Solo Travellers Get Together, Fruit and Vegetable Carving Demonstration, Foil Fencing Class, Intermediate Bridge Class, Killer Darts Competition, Interactive Gaming, Tag Heuer Seminar, Detox for Health and Weight Loss, Arthritis Pain Relief, Chairobics,, and this is all before lunch! This does not include hanging out in the laundry, library, Lido, or swimming pools. So many choices.

We decided that all of the activities on the Daily Programme involved too much energy, so after Brian was finished in the gym we headed up to the now air conditioned again Commodore Club, and took out our computers to work on our photos. We also shunned the multitude of afternoon activities, and armed with our novels we moved to the Pavilion pool to read, chat, and swim. You can do as much or as little as you want. No need to feel guilty, it is totally up to you to fill your day with whatever catches your fancy. I like that very much.

There was no problem finding a lounger by the pool, but the pool itself was quite crowded, so I ended up just soaking in the water, and doing more chatting than swimming. Also in the pool were the German identical twins, who are quite charming, but difficult to tell apart even on dry land. They further confound things by wearing identical bathing trunks, so you get quite confused about whom you are chatting with in the pool. The other occupants were easier to identify, and it was a most pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

There is a new plan to wash the balconies every day between 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM. This is a great way to maintain the cleanliness of the glass so you can see out from your bed, but is not good for sundowners on the balcony. I was concerned that we would suddenly get soaked while I sip my VC, and Brian imbibes his Laphroaig. We enjoy our biltong as the sun gently slips below the horizon, and we watch the sky turn many shades of red and gold. To avoid getting power washed as well, we retreated indoors with the curtains closed, and of course they had not come to wash the balcony by the time we headed off to dinner. Grrrrrrrr!

At dinner our tablemates agreed to meet in our cabin before dinner tomorrow night to discuss our boat building plans. We will need to keep the curtains closed lest one of the rival float your boat people would cunningly be disguised as a balcony washer, and spy on our progress, or lack there of.